Rubber-coated stocking-foot boot



Dec. 12, 1950 w, GOTTSCHALK 2,533,453

RUBBER-COATED STOCKING-FOOT BOOT Filed April 11, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 In ventor Attorney:

1950 I G. w. GOTTSCHALK 2,533,453

RUBBER-COATED STOCKING-FOOT BOOT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 11,- 1947 v Inventor Gorgon 1 143 03230 a Z /a Patented Dec. 12, 1950 -TE NT aw i -e e- 2,533,453 RUBBER-Colman =s'Tooiil1'qd l oo'i Boer Gordon W; Gotts'chalk, Iron'Mountain, Mich; Application mm; 1947, s'e'ri'aI Nisi 740,851

Thisinvention 'relates to an improvedconstructiorfof waterproof boot especially adapted for use bysportsrnen as a wading boot and which-is adaptedto' extend the' full-length of the leg.

A primary object of the present invention is to" provide a wadingboot of much lighter'weight than conventional wadingboots so that it maybe worn for a long period of "time without tiring or causing discomfort to the wearer. I g

Another an'd'parti'cular object of the invention is to provide a boot having a thin, flexible foot portion of the; same gauge as the remainder thereof andflwhich is adapted to be worn within a shoe" so that the shoe will afford-proper support for the arch which is' lacking in conventional boots and" which will further enable the boot to be worn for long periods'without tiring th e wearer. 1 r

Another'ob'ject of the invention is to provide' a" bootwhich' is extremely light in weight and eiitremely flexible so that it may readily be rolled into a compact form when not in use for storage or carrying and which is capable of being turned entirely inside-out, including the foot portion thereof, for quickly and thoroughly drying the interior of the boot.

Another "object of the" invention is to provide a boot which'inay be economically manufactured and sold, which will be relatively snag proof; and which, in'its finishedjform, constitutes'a unitary structurecontaining' an internal exposed nap of an absorbent material such as flannel or other fabric, constituting a part of the body portion thereof and which may afford warmth to the wearer.

- Stilla further object of the invention is to pro-' vide'an irnprovedadjustable fastening means for attaching the'upper end of the boot to the waist belt ofthe wearer for retaining the boot in an eitended position on the leg for increasing the wearing comfort thereof and the extent of coverage of the boot.

Qthe'r" objects and advantages of the inventionwiil-hr'einafter become more fully apparent from the following-description of the drawings, illustrating the preferred embodiments ofthe inventidngand wherein:

Figure 1 is a "front elevational view showing a 2E plurality of sections, stitched or otherwise joined e h r;

, Figure 1s ;'a'j iagmalaryyear' elevational view of the lower portion of the body I Figure 6 is across sectionalviewthereof taken; substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 66 of Figure 4;

Figure '1 is a cross se ime y e b e 'i ie foot portion, taken substantiallyalong a" plane as indicated by the line l e- Tor Figure 6 Figure 8 is" a" longitudinal sectional -view' taken substantially along a plane 1 as" indicated by the Figure 9 isja: cross sectional view: taken"alo'rig aplane as indicated bythe line 9 9 of Fig ur 4f Figure 10 is an' enlarg'ed sectional view" through a" portion of the completed boot; taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated hy'theline [0- 1 0 of Figure 2;

Figure 1 1 is a fragmentary 1engitudmatse tional view through a portion of thesup'portin'g rap;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary'sideelevationalviw of the lower portion offa'seamlessboot body? Figure '13 is ,a rearel'evational' view thereof; and

Figure 141s, a view sii'r'iilar' to Fi'gure '10, mus:

trating 'a' slight modificationor construction of the boot.

Referring more specifically tathe drawings; each of the improved'boots, apair o'f'which'is' illustrated in an applied position in Figuredg-is'i designated generally l4 and is 'forniedby provid-' il'lEflfbOdYPOItiOIl or stocking, designated en? era'llylE, as' seenin Figure 4,-of a suitable ab? sorbent fabric such as flannel and applying a: cured latex composition thereto, as seen at It in;- Figure 10, so that a cured, tough"laininate is obtained;

The body member or stocking lfi rnay be forrried or; thebody or stocking may be of seamlessc'o'ri struction as indicated at [5a in Figures12 and 13.

The stocking'or body"l5 or l5fais thendrawiif over a for n, not shown, of "any-'des'iredqtypje and which will function to hold t e body extende so'tha'tithe surface thereof will'be sinoothand taut. The latex composition'fl then applied in several coats, preferably three, each coat be ingpermitted to dry; or partially dry aerate the next coat is; applied, X The ,fir's't coat of I6 is completely {absorbed by'the fabric b0 the latex" as well as the surface of the form on which said body is held extended, so that on removal, after drying, a thin coating or layer of the latex will be disposed on the inner side of the body 15 or I5a and to just below the nap, thus forming a durable laminate which can not be separated. The subsequent coating or coatings of the latex which are applied after the first impregnating coating has dried or partially dried, are likewise applied to the exterior of the first coating and will, accordingly, not penetrate the fabric body or stocking and will therefore produce a thicker layer, composed of the various coatings, externally of the body than will exist internally thereof.

The latex composition, which is cured in the latex state before application may be either a natural or a synthetic rubber or a plastic latex.

- An example of such a composition, especially suitable for the purpose, is as follows:

Parts Rubber latex, 66% 35.4 Casein dispersion, 0.525 Sulphur, 50% 1.08 Agerite white dispersion, 50% 0.268 Mineral oil, 70% 0.932 Ethyl zimate, 50% 0.216 Zeinite, 40% 0.541 Water 1.579

Each of the ingredients constitutes a dispersion or suspension in water, the percentage following each ingredient representing the percentage by weight of the active ingredient and the balance constituting water, i. e., sulphur 50% by weight and water 50% by weight.

The tensile strength of a composition of this sort is extremely high on drying to a film, since, it will be noted, the rubber is not loaded with extending fillers. Latex compositions in general have greater tensile strength when not thus loaded too heavily.

It will thus be readily apparent that the finished boot M has the same cross sectional composition throughout and is of substantially the same thickness throughout and with the latex, composed of the several coatings, intimately secured to the body I5 or a will afford a relatively thin layer l8 on the inner side thereof from which the nap IQ of the body i5 or [5a protrudes, and a substantially thicker layer disposed externally of the fabric body [5 or I5a, as indicated at in Figure 10. Obviously, the latex saturated construction of the boot l4 makes the fabric body 15 or [5a inseparable from the latex coating to thus render the boot H3 extremely snag resistant.

The boot I4 is constructed by the simple operation of coating the single sturdy fabric body I5 or 15a with the latex composition, preferably rubber, so that the latex penetrates the fabric to produce an integral unit without requiring layering or employing a rubber cement or bonding medium, thus eliminating the hazard of volatile solvents. Furthermore, the boot Hi can be constructed without molding or curing since the molding occurs during the drying of the latex and the latex, as applied, is pre-cured, so that upon drying it forms the cured boot, thus providing a time and labor saving method of manufacture and which is extremely safe.

Each boot M is provided with a supporting strap 2| which may be made of fabric or of a rubberized fabric and which is provided with longitudinally spaced, longitudinally disposed slits 22, extending substantially the length thereof. The supporting strap 2| is adapted to be connected at one end thereof to the outer side of the upper end of its boot 14 by engaging a slit or button hole 22, located adjacent an end of said strap 2| with a button 23, secured to the outer side and upper end of the boot M, as seen in Figures 1 to 3.

The opposite end of the supporting strap 2i is provided with a button 24, and said end is adapted to be passed around the waist belt 25 of the wearer, as seen in Figure l and engaged with one of the slits or button holes 22 of the strap 2| to form a loop 26 around the melt 25 for supr porting the boot it in an extended position on the leg of the wearer. It will be readily apparent that the button 24 can be selectively engaged with the slits or button holes 22 for adjusting the length of the strap 2| for holding the boot [4 in an extended position.

The boot I4 is adapted to be worn with the foot portion thereof contained Within a shoe so that the foot of the wearer will be provided with a normal arch support which is essential where the boot [4 is to be worn for a long period of time, as in wading stoney streams and where comfort is essential if the boots are to be worn without tiring the user, which is not possible with conventional wading boots which do not afford proper support to the arch and which, due to their thick and bulky construction, are heavy and awkward to wear, whereas the boots [4 fit snugly about the foot and ankle, similar to a stocking, and are relatively thin and flexible and of light weight to enable the wearing thereof with the utmost of comfort and a minimum of effort. The boot M is enlarged from the ankle to the upper end thereof to accommodate normal wearing apparel such as trousers legs and socks. As the boot I4 is of substantially uniform thickness throughout its length and because of its great flexibility, said boot can be readily turned completely inside out for quickly drying the interior thereof and may be compressed fiat and rolled or folded into extremely small bundles for storage or carrying. Further, the boot I4 is much lighter in weight than conventional boots aifording a distinct advantage in either carrying or wearing.

Figure 14 illustrates a slightly modified construction of the boot and wherein the body [5 is contained completely within the molded latex composition [6 and in which the internal coating of latex I8 is sufficiently thick so that no portion of the body [5, such as the nap [9 as illustrated in Figure 10, will protrude from the surface thereof. The internal layer I8 may be increased thickness by applying one or more additional coatings of the latex thereto after the external coatings 28 have been applied and permitted to dry, and this is accomplished by thereafter removing the partially formed boot [4 from its form, not shown, turning the boot inside out and reapplying it to the form so that the additional thickening coatings can be applied to the boot for thickening the layer [8.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a waterproof foot and leg covering of the .character described, a fabric, stocking-like body portion including a foot and leg portion, said leg portion being of a length to encase the leg to 5 above the knee, and a latex composition intimately combined therewith and penetrating said fabric body and forming a relatively thin layer on the inner side thereof and a thicker layer on the outer side, said covering being relatively thin and flexible throughout and being adapted to fit snugly over the foot and ankle and to be worn with the foot portion thereof within a shoe.

GORDON W. GOTTSCHALK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Williams Feb. 26, 1884 Number Number Number 

